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What We Can Learn From Trump in California

Throughout Donald Trump’s entire campaign, there has always been a large group that strongly and staunchly oppose this candidate. There are Super PAC’s that sprung up, independent of other candidates, who create attack ads and spread awareness for why he should be stopped. John Oliver, the comedian journalist, spent an entire show and used his entire team to dig up dirt on Trump, and started the campaign to #makeDonaldDrumpfagain. There have been advocacy groups, journalists, other candidates, politicians, and voters who are doing everything they possibly can to try and deter votes from the business billionaire. Even former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has kept a very low profile since he lost his election in 2012, felt compelled to come out into the public once again to advise all Republicans, and potential Republican candidates, to do their part in ensuring Trump does not become the nominee. In conclusion, Trump has always been a polarizing character. From this election, it is clear that you either love the man or hate the man. It is hard to find someone who has an ambivalent attitude towards Trump, and this environment could not be more clear from what is happening in California right now.

The biggest state in the United States, California is home to a complex electorate. You have bleeding heart liberals mixed in with bleeding heart conservatives. You have those who are so strongly opposed to illegal immigration, but then you also have illegal immigrants and their families who have been long time residents in the country. This state is so important because of the amount of electoral votes it has, but also the amount of delegates that have become so important in this primary race. But more than anything, California is a diverse state. Because of all these factors, we have seen a huge response to Donald Trump in California. And as it could have been predicted, the reaction is very black and white.

It first started in Costa Mesa, where the protests turned violent and the scenes made national news. You saw Trump supporters with bloody faces surrounded by a group of policeman. You saw a woman in her car praying as protesters swarmed around her.And after his rally in Costa Mesa, the protests have continued at a rapid pace. In fact, as the election day in this state approaches, we can just expect them to get more violent and more active.

But more importantly than anything, these images show the separation in what people now want from their politicians. Trump supporters versus Trump protesters do not see eye to eye, and it seems impossible that they will be able to ever come together and agree on a candidate. And Trump, in his usual fashion, is leading his supporters against the protesters, writing today, “The ‘protesters’ in California were thugs and criminals. Many are professionals. They should be dealt with strongly by the law enforcement!” You know that from this comment, all protesters and anti-Trump voters are going to throw out the first amendment at him, and use this comment as an example that Trump is a racist, sexist, and a leader who will take away all individual rights.

Donald Trump is leading a movement. For those who support him, he represents everything they want to see changed in the United States. They are loyal, and trust Trump to “make America great again.” And in this same movement, there are those who will sit outside his rally for hours to prove how much they despise what he represents. This movement has been building for a long time, and the only difference now is that the underlying energy felt by so many people now has a person to represent it. Trump and this movement is not going to go away, but neither are those who are against him. This is not just a fluke, nor is it Trump understanding how to use populist campaign tactics to “trick” his voters. This movement has come from years of the everyday American feeling like they have no hope left, and that their politicians have failed them. If it is not Trump, someone else will come and take his place. Instead, we should all be looking at how to solve these problems that gave Trump a voice in the first place. Continuing to push these issues under the rug are just making the tension grow.

This election is not about Trump, but instead, is about the people he represents.